Plasma Panel Shipments See Q1 Declines

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 5/4/2009

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Plasma panel shipments declined 22 percent in the first quarter of 2009 from the same period a year ago, and 28 percent from the previous quarter, according to a new report from display market analysts DisplaySearch, a company of The NPD Group.

According to the latest DisplaySearch report, weakened global demand, triggered by poor economic conditions, caused plasma panel shipments from panel makers to brands to see year-to-year declines for the second straight quarter after posting strong growth during most of 2008.

Shipments for the quarter were 2.8 million units, down from 3.5 million units in Q1 2008, DisplaySearch said.

DisplaySearch traced most of the decline to the discontinuation of 32-inch panels in 2009, although 42- and 50-inch panel shipments fell in Q1 2009.

“Some brands announced their withdrawal from the plasma TV business in Q1 '09, like Pioneer, while other brands decided to shift away from plasma to focus on LCD TV only, like Vizio,” DisplaySearch said. “The result was weaker-than-anticipated shipments as the number of brands consolidates.”

For further details of this report visit www.TWICE.com.